First Course
Ost Café in the East Village has officially opened this week. Ost Café is a new Eastern European coffee shop located at the corner of 12th and A Avenue. This café was opened by a husband and wife team consisting of Aaron Hagedorn, a vet of the US Navy, and Katarina, a model from the Slovak Republic. Ost Café is a warm welcoming coffee house and located at 441 E 21st Street. No menu has been released yet. [Eater]
Perry St.
Cuisine: American Nouveau, French
Price Range: Expensive
West Village
176 Perry Street
(near West Street)
New York, NY 10014
(212) 352-1900
www.jean-georges.com
Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s newest restaurant, Perry Street, is located in one of the halcyonian, all-glass Richard Meier buildings overlooking the Hudson. The interior of the restaurant mimics the serenity of the placid glass exterior with soft white chairs and banquettes, sleek wooden tables and industrial columns. Many also find that the choice of location and décor has worked its influence on the food as well. After opening a series of ostentatious novelty restaurants (66, Spice Market and V Steakhouse) between 2002 and 2004, Vongerichten has returned to the culinary basics and traditional Asian elements characteristic of his earlier, highly praised restaurants, Jo Jo and Jean-Georges.
Billy’s bakery in Chelsea is turning five and they’re celebrating with cake…cupcakes that is! Billy’s will be selling cupcakes for only $1 all day today. The bakery is located at 184 9th Avenue between 21st and 22nd and will be open until 11 pm tonight! [Eater]
Counter
Cuisine: Eclectic/Global, Vegetarian/Organic
Price Range: Moderate
East Village
105 First Avenue
(at 6th Street)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 982-5870
www.counternyc.com
Everything from the parsley to vodka is organic at Counter, a wine/martini bar and vegetarian bistro where the focus is freshness. With three hundred earth-friendly wines and funky cocktails made with fresh mixers - in particular the Married in a Fever (a red wine-poached pear nectar mixed with smoked pear-infused vodka) and Counter’s Dirtiest Martini, made with basil-infused vodka - the semi-circular oak bar, which is accented with beige marble, is packed full of vegan dinner guests. A relaxed atmosphere is set with soft lighting and beige walls, and the green and burgundy banquettes get a punch of excitement from the orange wall hangings and an orange wine "tree" rack near the door.
For Hanukkah, Chef Bill Telepan will be making potato latke during all 8 days. They are available for $10 or $16 with salmon between December 22nd through the 30th. Telepan is located at 72 West 69th Street (between Columbus and Central Park West), (212) 580-4300.
The Clinton Street Baking Company will also stay open for brunch December 26 through Jan 4th (10am-4pm), serving special potato pancakes (with toppings like smoked salmon, crème fraiche and red caviar, cinnamon sour cream-n-applesauce, smoked trout and soft scrambled eggs with chive.)
The bakery is located at 4 Clinton Street, between Houston and Stanton, (646) 602-6263.
Also, be sure to check out Clinton Street's Blueberry Pancakes. They're our favorite!
Latke Lovers Take Note [The Strong Buzz]
Pizza and beer. Words we all love to hear. Top Chef’s Nikki Cascone will be at 24 Prince on Sunday, January 4th for some hot crusts and hearty brews. The party will start at 5:30 and go on 'til 9pm. There are flatbread pizzas running at $12 depending on the toppings and $4 Stellas. 24 Prince is located at 24 Prince Street, (212) 226-8624.
Pizza, Beer and The Strong Buzz at 24 Prince on Sunday January 4th [The Strong Buzz]
Jamie Oliver of Oliver’s Twist, visited the Roosevelt Food Court, which is an authentic Chinese/Central Asian/Taiwanese/Korean food court with about a dozen stalls located in Flushing, Queens. He was there on a mission to learn how to make the classic Szechwan snack dan dan mian (noodles in chili oil, sichuan peppercorns and ground beef) for his new show Jamie in America.
Jamie recently released news of a project with Adam Perry Lang, the king of New York meat chefs, that they will hold several “live fire” international barbecues across Europe. No news on whether Jamie will be serving the dan dan mian at this event.
Jamie Oliver Has Gotten to the Roosevelt Food Court. Have You? [The Feedbag]
Veselka
Cuisine: Polish, Ukrainian, Soul Food
Price: Ukranian Borscht, $4.50
East Village
144 2nd Avenue
(between 9th and St Marks Place)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-9682
www.veselka.com
The cheap eats haven, Veselka is the best Polish, Ukrainian comfort food option of all time, especially because they are open 24/7. After 54 years in the neighborhood, owner Tom Birchard and Chef Malgorzata Sibilska know exactly how to sober you up; if not the bright lights, strong coffee and unmistakably characteristic service, at least the food is guaranteed to awaken your senses. Breakfast anytime takes on a fantastic meaning when you are having scrambled eggs and chocolate chip pancakes at 4 in the morning. We recommend ordering the three-bean chili and grilled cheese sandwich with a chocolate muffin chaser. If you are into the Polish affair, don’t pass up the blintzes, potato pierogi, vegetarian stuffed cabbage or the Ukrainian Borscht. Chloe Sevigny and City Council members are name dropped as customers.
Well there’s nothing like a little broken down economy to signal the end of an era. Say goodbye to the $3 slice of pizza and hello to a price a little more friendly to the ears: $1. Most likely spurred by competition with 2 Bros. Pizza and their great value, Pizzanini decreased the cost per slice by sixty-three percent and are now back to the $1 slice. In another move to compete with falling prices, sushi spot Nori has begun to offer $1 sushi. They're now offering a selection of tuna, salmon, tobiko, striped bass, eel, mackarel, yellow tail, crab, shrimp, and Spanish mackerel all at the unbelievable rate. But one should hurry, because a deal this good won’t last forever.
Slice Price Sliced: Pizzanini Goes Down to $1 [NYMag.com]